Chapter 1 Problem Set 2: Safety and First Aid Working in the chemistry laboratory is an interesting and rewarding experience. During your labs, you will be actively involved from beginning to end from setting some change in motion to drawing some conclusion. In the laboratory, you will be working with equipment and materials that can cause injury if they are not handled properly. However, the laboratory is a safe place to work if you are careful. Accidents do not just happen. They are caused by carelessness, haste, and disregard of safety rules and practices. Safety rules to be followed in the laboratory are listed below. Before beginning any lab work, read these rules, learn them, and follow them carefully. General 1. Be prepared to work when you arrive at the laboratory. Familiarize yourself with the lab procedures before beginning the lab. 2. Perform only those lab activities assigned by your teacher. Never do anything in the laboratory that is not called for in the laboratory procedure or by your teacher. Never work alone in the lab. Do not engage in any horseplay. 3. Work areas should be kept clean and tidy at all times. Only lab sheets should be brought to the lab area. Books, purses, and back packs should be left outside the lab. 4. Clothing should be appropriate for working in the lab. Long pants must be worn along with closed-toed leather shoes. Jackets, ties and other loose garments should be removed. 5. Long hair should be tied back or covered, especially in the vicinity of open flames. 6. Jewelry that might present a safety hazard, such as dangling necklaces or bracelets should not be worn in the lab. 7. Follow all instructions, both written and oral, carefully. 8. Safety goggles and lab aprons should be worn at all times. 9. Set up apparatus as described on the lab sheet or by your teacher. Never use makeshift arrangements. 10. Always use the prescribed instruments for handling apparatus or equipment. 11. Keep all combustible materials away from open flames. 12. Never touch any substances in the lab unless specifically instructed to do so by your teacher. 13. Never put your face near the mouth of a container that is holding chemicals. 14. Never smell any chemicals unless instructed to do so by your teacher. When testing for odors, use a wafting motion to direct the odors to your nose. 15. Any activity involving poisonous vapors should be conducted in the fume hood. 16. Dispose of waste materials as instructed by your teacher. 17. Clean up all spills immediately. 18. Clean and wipe dry all work surfaces at the end of class. Wash your hands thoroughly. 19. Know the location of emergency equipment (first aid kit, fire extinguisher, safety shower, fire blanket, etc.) and how to use them. 20. Report all accidents to the teacher immediately. Handling Chemicals 21. Read and double check labels on reagent bottles before removing any reagent. Take only as much reagent as you need. 22. Do not return unused reagent to stock bottles. 23. When transferring chemical reagents from one container to another, hold the containers out away from your body.
24. When mixing an acid and water, always add the acid to the water. 25. Avoid touching chemicals with your hands. If chemicals do come in contact with your hands, wash them immediately. 26. Notify your teacher if you have any medical problems that might relate to lab work, such as allergies or asthma. 27. If you will be working with chemicals in the lab, avoid wearing contact lenses. Handling Glassware 28. Glass tubing, especially long pieces, should be carried in a vertical position to minimize the likelihood of breakage and to avoid stabbing anyone. 29. Never handle broken glass with your bare hands. Use a brush and dustpan to clean up broken glass. Do not throw it in the trash. Dispose of the glass in the appropriate container as directed by your teacher. 30. Always lubricate glassware (tubing, thermometers, etc.) with water or glycerin before attempting to insert it into a rubber stopper. 31. Never apply force when inserting or removing glassware from a stopper. Use a twisting motion. If a piece of glassware becomes frozen in a stopper, take it to your teacher. 32. Allow plenty of time for hot glass to cool before touching it. Hot glass can cause painful burns. (Remember: Hot glass looks cool.) Heating Substances 33. Exercise extreme caution when using a gas burner. Keep your head and clothing away from the flame. 34. Always turn the burner off when it is not in use. 35. Do not bring any substance into contact with a flame unless instructed to do so. 36. Never heat anything without being instructed to do so. 37. Never look into a container that is being heated. 38. When heating a substance in a test tube, make sure that the mouth of the tube is not pointed at yourself or anyone else. 39. Never leave unattended anything that is being heated or is visibly reacting. Accidents do not often happen in well-equipped chemistry laboratories if students understand safe laboratory procedures and are careful to follow them. When an occasional accident does occur, it is likely to be a minor one. Always notify your teacher if there is an injury in the classroom, no matter how minor it may seem. Bleeding from a cut: Most cuts that occur in the chemistry laboratory are minor. For minor cuts, apply pressure to the wound with a clean, absorbent cloth. If blood begins to soak through, add more layers of cloth. If possible, keep a sheet of plastic over the topmost layer and wear latex or plastic gloves. If the victim is bleeding badly, raise the bleeding part, if possible, and apply pressure to the wound with a clean, absorbent cloth. Notify the teacher. Acid or base spilled on the skin: Remove all clothing that has the chemical on it and flush the skin with water for at least 15 minutes. Notify the teacher. Chemicals in the mouth: Many chemicals are poisonous to varying degrees. Any chemical taken into the mouth should be spat out and the mouth rinsed thoroughly with water. Tell the victim NOT to swallow the water. Note the name of the chemical and notify the teacher immediately. If the victim swallows a chemical, note the name of the chemical and notify the
teacher immediately. Do NOT give the victim anything to drink. Chemicals in the eyes: Getting any kind of chemical in the eyes is undesirable, but certain chemicals are especially harmful. They can destroy eyesight in a matter of seconds. Because you will be wearing safety goggles at all times during investigations, the likelihood of this kind of accident is remote. However, if it does happen, begin flushing the eyes with water immediately. It is important that flushing with water be continues for a prolonged time at least 15 minutes. While flushing continues, send someone to notify the teacher. Clothing or hair on fire: A person whose clothing or hair catches on fire will often run around frantically in an unsuccessful effort to get away from the fire. This only provides the fire with more oxygen and makes it burn faster. If your clothing catches fire, drop to the floor and roll around to extinguish the flames. If you are helping another person whose clothing is on fire, smother the flames by rolling the person on the floor, in a fire blanket, or in a heavy coat. For hair fires, use a fire blanket to smother the flames. Notify the teacher immediately. Breathing smoke or chemical fumes: Inhalation of smoke or chemical fumes is unlikely if all experiments that give off smoke or noxious gases are conducted in a well-ventilated fume hood. If smoke or chemical fumes are present in the laboratory, all persons even those who do not feel ill should leave the laboratory immediately. Since smoke rises, crawl along the floor while evacuating a smoke-filled room. Close all doors to the laboratory after the last person has left. Notify the teacher immediately. Make sure the room is thoroughly ventilated before anyone goes back in. Shock: People who are suffering from any severe injury (for example, a bad burn or major loss of blood) may be in a state of shock. A person in shock is usually pale and faint. The person may be sweating, with cold, moist skin and a weak, rapid pulse. Shock is a serious medical condition. Do not allow a person in shock to walk anywhere. Call for emergency help immediately. While emergency help is being summoned, loosen any tightly fitting clothing and keep the person comfortable. Questions: A. Laboratory Safety Choose words from the list to fill in the blanks of the paragraphs. Word list: acid apron breakage burner clothing combustible chemical dangling disposal fume instructions loose lubricate return water When working in the laboratory, you should follow all written and oral instructions. Wear safety goggles and a lab at all times. Avoid apparel that presents safety hazards, such as garments and jewelry. Use extreme caution with gas burners. Keep your hair, clothing, and other materials away from the flame. Before inserting glassware into a stopper, the glass with water or glycerin. Any activity that involves
poisonous vapors must be carried out in a(an) hood. Always read and double-check the label on a(an) bottle before removing anything from it, and to avoid contamination, do not chemicals to stock bottles. If you are directed to mix an acid and water, always be sure to add the to the, never the reverse. B. First Aid (Choose words from the list to fill in the blanks of the paragraphs.) Word list: accident fire blanket flush goggles leave name nurse pulse pressure raise shock water People who are suffering from any severe injury may be in a state of. Symptoms may include sweating, with cold, moist skin and a weak, rapid. The best way to guard against eye injury is to wear safety at all times. If a harmful chemical should nevertheless get into the eyes, immediately it with lots of water, and continue the process for 15 minutes. Treat a minor cut by applying to it with a clean, absorbent cloth. If the victim is bleeding badly, the bleeding part and apply pressure to the wound with a clean, absorbent cloth. If someone swallows a chemical, be sure to note the of the chemical and notify the teacher immediately. If an acid is spilled on the skin, flush the skin with. If smoke or chemical fumes should be present in the laboratory, all persons should the laboratory immediately. For hair fires, use a to smother the flames. C. Safety (Fill in the blank.) 1. Pour chemical from large reagent bottles into before measuring. 2. Read and a chemical label before using the chemical. 3. When diluting an acid, always add to. 4. Work with volatile chemicals under a. 5. Use a or to draw liquid into a pipet. 6. Strike matches your body. 7. Move test tubes back and forth at an while heating. 8. Hold hot glassware with or. 9. When inserting lubricated glass tubing into a stopper, protect your hands with. 10. Always protect your eyes with when working in the lab. 11. Stand on a if you need to reach. 12. Rinse chemical from your eyes in an. 13. clothing on the way to the safety shower. 14. Extinguish small fires in containers by them. 15. Put out clothing fires in a. D. Safety (True or False) 1. Hold bottles with your hand over the label while pouring.
2. Immediately wipe up any spills. 3. When lighting a Bunsen burner, first turn on the gas, then strike your match. 4. Check glassware for stars and cracks. 5. Shake laboratory thermometers down before use. 6. Carefully scoop up mercury from a broken thermometer with a piece of paper. 7. If you don t have an inserter, lubricate glass before inserting it through a stopper. 8. Balance a centrifuge by placing test tubes containing equal masses opposite each other. 9. Wear closed leather shoes to protect your feet. 10. Remove rings and watches before working in the laboratory.
Lab Apparatus: Each student must know the name and correct spelling of the following laboratory equipment. A lab practicum will be given after the first week of school in which the student will identify and correctly spell the names of the equipment from viewing the actual pieces, not pictures. This is a vital first step in efficient laboratory work. Pay careful attention to the words that must be capitalized. They are underlined. thermometer Erlenmeyer flask
micro-well plates dropper pipets striker or igniter automatic pipetters
pestle clay triangle crucible cover mortar ring clamp Bunsen burner volumetric flask funnel Erlenmeyer flask
funnel crucible Bunsen burner Erlenmeyer flask